Galina Reviews: Amly serum collection that combats the negative impact of modern living

As someone who has been writing about beauty products for many years I am not easily surprised when it comes to new concepts or launches. While my attention remains razor sharp, few products make it to my website’s ‘beauty section’, researched and tested for your attention, because I think life is too short and busy enough, and my intention is not to bombard you, but rather surprise, intrigue and hopefully delight, by showcasing things that I think are worth sharing. Amly is a British natural beauty brand that was started by two talented women, who focussed on creating Silver-Rich Face Mists with a difference. Kerry Moore specialises in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy and has background in homeopathy, while Lisa Smallpiece is a talented artist, who lives on an organic farm in Sussex, where the natural Amly spring is flowing through a wild-flower meadow. Their talents and knowledge compliment each other and allow them to create products that truly are unlike any other, created in small batches tonsure freshness and potency. Each of Amly’s three initial launches, spaced months apart, are incredibly impressive and prove that no good product is created quickly and on a whim, but rather based on individuality and synergy of quality ingredients and serving a specific purpose. A few months ago I received a press release that announced a trio of Amly serum collection launch, this time…. designed to combat the negative impact of modern city living. ‘Unexpected’ was my first thought and ‘wow’ was the first impression, when I opened the box from Amly that contained all three products. Below is a story behind each product and why I think they are unlike anything else you might have experienced before, even if you are a beauty connoisseur.

Lisa and Kerry crafted signature blends of the finest essential oils and active organic flower compounds, designed to combat daily life challenges, notably damaging effects of pollution, sleep issues and keeping skin happy no matter your age. With the brand’s roots deeply planted in rural England, Amly is built on the ancient traditions of plant medicine, while also using cutting-edge scientific research to refine, adapt, enhance and improve the gifts of nature that are often taken for granted or forgotten in the digital and technological times. Lisa and Kerry believe in combining the powers of innovation when blending natural ingredients and respecting old traditions, while also ensuring that their formulations incorporate innovative bio-actives that are scientifically proven to produce real results. After all, when we buy this or that product, we do want to see an improvement in the skin or issue we are purchasing them for.

Amy’s process of product creation can be described as ‘botanical alchemy’ because it employs traditional methods to extract essential oils and hydrolates from flowers and plants that have been collected and used for centuries because of their healing properties. What Lisa and Kerry manage to do on each occasion, when they start developing a new product, is to combine botanical treasures with advanced bio-actives, which together create potent formulas that deliver consistent results not just visually, but internally to, by improving the health of the skin over time.

This super light, white-coloured fluid provides powerful defence against the negative impact that city living increasingly has on our skin. In general serums tend to have higher concentrations of active ingredients that work with a specific purpose to improve this or that skin problem. Lighter in texture than moisturisers, they bring higher potency and nourishment to the skin and this particular one is a delight to apply, because of its feather-light texture and the all-encompassing scent that reminds me of Amly first mist, Radiance Boost.

This serum was created to help boost skin’s pollution resilience, while also protecting your complexion. There is the power of EchinaceaComplex that helps to detoxify and strengthen skin, while antioxidants Gotu Kola and Green Tea are blended together with Marine Compounds that help boost skin’s collagen levels. But that’s not all. There is also hydration-enhancing power of Squalene, purifying Niaouli (ingredient new to me, but commonly known as tea trees or paperbark, part of the myrtle family, which has many traditional uses, including treating colds, headaches, as well as in perfumery) and reviving White Willow that helps to clear the impurities from the skin, promoting a healthier looking complexion.

I would recommend using this serum primarily in the morning, after cleansing the skin. It sinks into the skin almost immediately and without a trace, leaving behind a delicate veil of scent that reminds you of the flowers and plants gently swaying in the early summer breeze. It lingers for a while and sets the mood for the day, calmly confident and content. After using it for several weeks I smile as soon as the serum comes into contact with my warm fingers, releasing the scent and a content smile on my face – something that is wonderfully special, be it rain or shine outside the window. The brow doesn’t frown and I am ready to face the day, work projects, deadlines, naughty children or a mountain of homework interlaced with cooking.

What also makes this particular serum special is the multiple benefits it brings to the mantle of your skin. By boosting hyaluronic acid levels it hydrates the complexion and helps plump the wrinkles for those, who fit the older age bracket. By balancing the skin, it increases its overall resilience to stress, in part because of the improvement of the natural detoxification and repair process that our skin undertakes daily. It speeds up the repair after UVB exposure, something that as a loyal sun worshiper I have to take into account, as it is one of the biggest contributors to the ageing process. And let’s not discount the powerful cocktail of vitamins & minerals that skin drinks in like you would water on a scorching day. If you skin appears lacklustre, it will benefit from the glow that is enhanced or renewed thanks to Beetroot extract, while the healing effect of Aloe Vera (I have put this serum to the test during my beach holiday and didn’t have to apply Aloe Vera gel that sometimes I have to after a prolonged sun exposure). Last but not least, there is also the extract of Lavender, with its deeply rich scent and bacteria-inhibiting benefit to the skin prone to spots and blemishes. One potent serum, wouldn’t you agree? Or feather-light complexion protection superhero – either of those two descriptions are perfectly suited to the contents of this dark glass bottle.

Top Tip: Apply to face and neck after cleansing the skin with the upward motion. For increased detoxing and skin-protcting effect, use after Amly Digital Detox Face Mist (keep it in the fridge in the hot months to give skin a hydrating boost when it needs it).

Now, this face oil is without a doubt one of the most sophisticated ones I have EVER tried in terms of texture. When you dip a drop or two on your skin or into the palm of your hand, it feels like drops of water. Massage it lightly into the skin and you feel the traction of the lightest oil under your fingertips. Something that I am still in awe of two months after starting to use this face oil.

Formulated with anti-ageing Fireweed, a super hydrating ingredient that promises to reinforce skin’s barrier function, often undermined by excessive scrubbing, peels and inflammation, as well as lifestyle choices and city pollution, expect help with protecting your skin’s elasticity and increasing diminished glow. Highly-prised oils of Pomegranate, Prickly Pear and Buriti Fruit work alongside smoothing, anti-irritant Ginger Root to rehydrate, tone and protect skin cells from the negative effect of regular sun exposure. A trio of dry oil superheroes – Abyssinian, Fireweed and Meadowfoam – help to balance and hydrate the skin when it needs it, while also ensuring quick absorption. There are also the power of Vitamin C, Beta-carotene and Omegas 3,6 and 9 hard at work, helping improve collagen synthesis that gets decreased with age and fortifying the skin. One of the joys of discovering those skincare launches from Amly is the knowledge that Kerry and Lisa share when it comes to their product descriptions. It’s not just the fact that this face oil, for example, is packed with Essential Fatty Acids and Polyphenols that in combination help to treat sun damage, redness and irritation, but that Prickly Pear and Pomegranate are photo protective ingredients and in synergy within this formula help repair UV damage. Or that Vitamin E, Prickly Pear and Raspberry Seed protect the skin against daily oxidative stress and free radicals, as well as ‘polluaging’, premature skin ageing caused by pollution particles. Educating yourself when it comes to skincare is incredibly important, because it helps you make better choices when it comes to your skin and making sure it looks good and remains healthy through different life stages.

As I was editing my thoughts on this particular product, my mum was sitting next to me at the table on the patio during our family break, and she asked me a question that was possibly intended to throw me a little. Laughing at the amount of beauty products I travel with, she asked if I truly believed in product descriptions and their efficacy. After thinking for a minute, I honestly replied that in some cases I actually do simply when I know the brand and its founder/s well and have used the products in the past. With most I actually don’t, because there are too many promises made or slogans that are empty, meaningless and simply repetitive. Overall, there are very few exceptional brands that craft unique and effective products that deliver results consistently. I am not suggesting that you trust the content of the bottle, like Alice in the Wonderland and big up your expectations simply of the promise on the bottle. Instead direct your gaze at the brands that are driven by passion and knowledge, and founders who don’t rest on the laurels of their initial success, but strive to create something that will benefit the skin for weeks and months to come, creating a cumulative effect of increased glow, healthy, even skin, whatever age or type it is. A product that delights you and your skin every time you use it, making you feel beautiful bare-skinned.

Top Tip: Use on slightly damp skin for even swifter and better absorption. The synergy of this Face oil can be further enhanced when used after a spritz of Amly Radiance Boost Face Mist.

This face balm looks and feels like a veritable indulgence for skin and the senses every time you use it. We all want effective skincare that delivers results, but when a product makes you feel like you are having a mini-facial or spa experience on top of that, it becomes impossible to resist. One of the reasons why the balm has a particularly light texture, like a slightly solidified face oil, is the Propolis Extract or ‘bee glue’ as Amly creators call it. Propolis extract has multiple benefits for humans, internally and externally, but in this instance Lisa and Kerry incorporated it into this product due to its powerful age-proofing properties and based on research that proves that with regular use it can help reduce the depth and volume of wrinkles, by plumping them up, while also helping replenish the skin.

In addition, there is a combination of potent vitamins and fatty acids that harmoniously work together to improve skin’s natural cellular renewal and help skin look and feel more supple – a good enough reason to extend application of this mask beyond your face down to the neckline, massaging the balm in and increasing the circulation within your skin layers and helping the product work more effectively when it sinks in. There is Sea Buckthorn, derived from fresh orange berries that ripen in the summer and autumn and boost your body’s immunity in colder months of the year. It is also a rich source of precious Omega 7, which helps to block free radical damage and heal the skin after sun exposure. Rosehip Oil was included due to its regenerating properties and helping minimise wrinkles and sun spots, something that seems to be increasingly relevant as the effect of direct sun rays lately seems to have been increasing. As someone who has various moles dotted around face and body I noticed that in the last few years I arrive back from the summer travels in the sun with more of them on my skin (note: checking your moles by a qualified professional annually for any changes is essential and if you have any concerns about the changes in any of its appearances in-between appointments, you are better off going to consult the GP, rather that leaving it and missing an important sign of skin cancer that can be fast & deadly).

There is also nourishing Evening Primrose Oil, an ingredient that comes often comes highly recommended by dermatologists and facialists because it helps to relieve inflammation, and healing Borage and Calendula oils that soothe and soften the skin, while reducing the stress levels through its comforting scents.

A particularly noteworthy aspect of this face balm is its Buddha-like calming, yet uplifting scent. Sleep-Inducing essential oils of Valerian, Linden Flower, Lavender and Rock Rose help relieve anxiety and tension, which can help improve your restless sleep patterns, if you suffer from them, or make your sleep more restfully and deeper, if you don’t. Familiar notes of Roman Chamomile and Clary Sage help comfort mind and body, as if burning palo santo in the room and getting rid of the bad vibes.

Unlike the other two products, this one comes in a glass jar with screw on lid, something that is done in part for practical reasons. When the weather is hot, the balm separates in the jar a little, part of it liquifying. When this occurs, I mix it with a clean glass straw or spatula and then put into the fridge – something that only enhances the overall luxurious feel of the product, without impacting its quality. Applying this balm to the skin is akin to anointing, setting the intention for speedier renewing process for the skin overnight, while you get some restful sleep.

Top Tip: for increased effect, apply this mask-like balm after spraying your face generously with Amly Beauty Sleep Face Mist after cleansing, letting the mist first sink into the skin or tapping the balm gently into the skin.

There are products that look and feel so luxurious that come across almost intimidating, but Amly for me represents sophistication and luxury of a different kind. Products that makes you think of presteen forests and fields deep in the countryside, where the air is cleaner and calmer. Where people move with ease and calm assurance, their steps un-rushed and their foreheads unfrowned. Where the winds and sun are gentle on your face, making you feel content to just be, imperfect as you are, but so unique as a human being.

For more information about Amly and its products, please click here. Amly offers complimentary shipping for its UK customers.